Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck is proud to announce the recipients of its 2020 Jeffrey S. Rugg Pro Bono Awards. The Jeffrey S. Rugg Pro Bono Award is presented annually to a Brownstein individual or pro bono team who has provided exemplary and meaningful pro bono work.
Las Vegas attorneys Jamie Thalgott and Michael Kalish were recognized with the Special Emergency COVID-19 Response Award for their commitment to the Ask-A-Lawyer Tenant/Eviction Program through the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada (LASCN). With thousands in Las Vegas and Southern Nevada facing eviction and homelessness during the COVID-19 crisis, Thalgott and Kalish dedicated many hours to advising hundreds of people in the community, and each has been individually recognized as a “Volunteer of the Month” by LACSN.
The Community Impact Pro Bono Award went to a multidisciplinary team led by Denver Natural Resources Shareholder Ronda Sandquist. She and team members Pat Davis, Mike Feeley, Christine Jochim, Chris Murray and Mike Smith won the impact award for their work for the Greenway Foundation, in its effort to protect watersheds and public health, by successfully overcoming state and federal mandates to add phosphorus to municipal water supplies. The team advocated for and obtained a landmark settlement which provided tap filters to residents and accelerated replacement of lead water lines. The extensive work on behalf of the client will have international impact on protecting surface water and in preventing lead poisoning in residential water supplies.
In 2018, Brownstein named its Pro Bono Awards to commemorate Jeffrey S. Rugg, a shareholder from its Las Vegas office, who passed away in 2017 at the age of 46 after a 14-month battle with cancer. The award honors his legacy and commitment to pro bono work.